European-Style Bistro Louie-Louie Is Coming to University City

Marty and Sydney Grims, the father-daughter team behind White Dog Cafe, are opening another restaurant at Penn. Louie-Louie is going into the ground floor of the Hilton-owned Inn at Penn, replacing Penne, which closed over the summer. It’s slated to open its doors early next year.

Louie-Louie will be a European-style bistro, with cafe fare — a big change from Penne, a more formal Italian eatery that occupied the address (3611 Walnut Street) for 15 years. The 4,200-square-foot space is getting a full makeover, plus more outdoor seating and new landscaping.

Philly-based Rohe Creative, who did Cheu Fishtown, Bud & Marilyn’s, and Michael Schulson’s Harp & Crown and Double Knot, is handling the design for Louie-Louie, which is being described as “art nouveau inspired.” The restaurant will seat 150 inside and 50 outside and have a big bar area. Look for it to serve dinner daily, lunch during the week, and brunch on weekends.

White Dog Café has been in University City for almost 35 years, though Marty Grims didn’t take it over until 2009. The Grims’ Fearless Restaurants lineup also includes White Dogs outside the city in Wayne and Haverford, Moshulu on Penn's Landing, Autograph Brasserie in Wayne, and Plantation Restaurant, Daddy O, and Tuckers Tavern at the Jersey Shore, on Long Beach Island.